‘Targeting people for religious affiliation deep-rooted in US’

By: Mohamed Ali

WASHINGTON: A human rights watchdog alleged on Tuesday that authorities targeting of people because of their racial background or religious affiliation is a deep-rooted problem in the US, with nearly 32 million people, including Sikhs and Muslims reporting they've been racially profiled.

In a report, Amnesty International US also said at least 87 million people one in three in the United States are at high risk of being victimized because they belong to a racial, ethnic or religious group whose members are commonly targeted by police for unlawful stops and searches.

“Racial profiling is a growing problem as the government has expanded its war on terror,” the report said. “Police, immigration and airport security procedures are the areas where the problem has gotten worse since the September 11, 2001, attacks.”

The study claimed: “Citizens and visitors of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, and others who appear to be from these areas or members of the Muslim and Sikh faiths, have become more frequent subjects of racial profiling over the last three years.”

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